25 More Days of the Bransons
by gothamgirl28
Summary: The continuing Christmas adventures of the Modern Bransons! Tom, Sybil, Moira, and Rory are preparing for the holidays with lots of laughs, fluff, and other surprises. Modern AU.
1. Day 1: Star

Hello Everyone! Here's the first chapter in my new fic, 25 More Days of the Bransons. We pick it a year later as the four Bransons - Tom, Sybil, Moira, and Rory - prepare for Christmas. I hope everyone enjoys the new drabbles!

* * *

Sybil sighed as she pulled into the driveway. It had been a long day and it was only half past three. She glanced into the backseat and at her two sleeping children, Moira and Rory.

Her eldest had been in a rare mood when she picked her up from the Montessori school earlier. More so after she found out that Rory and her mummy had gone to the library after lunch. Sybil had sat through a rare temper tantrum with an amused Rory on her lap for ten minutes before she could herd her daughter into the car.

Now, fifteen minutes later, with both children asleep, she was trying to figure out how to get them both into the house on her own. She was saved by a knock on her window. Startled, Sybil quickly turned her head. She was happily surprised to see her husband.

Opening the car door, she said, "You're home early."

Tom smiled. "The meeting with my editor ended earlier than expected. Plus, I got an express train back."

He pulled her up and kissed her firmly. Pulling away, he asked, "How was your day?"

She sighed again. "It was busy, but goof until I picked up Moira. She had a tantrum over Rory and I going to the library without her."

Her husband nodded his head. "That's the what…third tantrum in the last two weeks."

"Yes," huffed Sybil. "I don't know what has gotten into her."

Tom gave her look, as though expecting the answer to be obvious.

"What?"

He gave her a small smile. "The tantrums started when I started my leave of absence from the paper. Moira thinks she's missing out while she's at school and I think she might be a little jealous that Rory gets to spend more time with us right now."

"Oh." She turned and gazed at her daughter. "Perhaps I should arrange some one-on-one time with her. A mummy and Moira day does sound like fun."

Tom chuckled. "I think that's an excellent idea." He clapped his hands together. "Let's get these two troublemakers inside before they turn into icicles. I'll take Moira, you'll take Rory."

Sybil nodded her head. They quickly unbuckled their children from their safety seats and carefully proceeded into their cottage. Tom had just carefully placed Moira on their sofa when she woke up.

Rubbing her eyes, she greeted her daddy. "Hi, daddy. I missed you."

"I missed you two. How was school."

"Okay."

He arched an eyebrow at his daughter. "Just okay?"

She nodded her head.

Just then, Rory awoke. On seeing his daddy and big sister, he babbled, "Dada! Momo!"

Tom beamed at his youngest. "How are you, my boy?" Did you have fun today?"

The little boy nodded his head.

"Let's get you two out of your coats. You both have a package from New York," announced Tom.

Moira's eyes lit up. "From Granny Martha?!"

"Yes."

The little girl threw off her coat and assisted her father in hanging it up. She then proceeded over to her mother and helped her remove her baby brother's jumpsuit. A mighty feat since Rory was more interested in his big sister, whom he hero worshipped, than in anything else.

Eventually, Moira and Sybil got Rory out of his jumpsuit and the family gathered together on the floor in front of the fire to open the package. Tom wisely took charge of that task, using a pair of scissors to cut through the packing tape. As he return the scissors to a drawer in his office, Moira yanked open the package to reveal several lovely items for her and her brother.

Most of the items were clothes, which the three year old could care less about. However, there were two small packages with writing on them. She recognized her name on the one package and reached for it. Sybil reached for the other package for Rory, as well as an envelope addressed to her and Tom.

Tom, having returned to the living room, assisted Moira with opening her package while his wife opened their son's. Both were stunned by the contents of the packages. Martha had sent her great-grandchildren identical star photo frame ornaments, each decorated in sparkly silver.

"Ooohhh," uttered Moira.

Rory, on the other hand, liked his gift so much, he tried to put it in his mouth.

Sybil wrestled it out of his grip and handed him to his father. She then opened the envelope.

 _Dearest Sybil, Tom, Moira, & Rory,_

 _I know what you're thinking, Sybil. It's too much. Well, I'm too much, as my beloved Isidore used to tell me. I saw all of these items while out shopping and knew they would be perfect for my only great-grandchildren. I think I did an excellent job picking out clothes and toys for Rory. He's a handsome little imp, just like how I imagine Tom was at that age. I sent several books for Moira as I know from your last letter that she's starting to learn to read some words. I expect great things from that one. She is a bit of Crawley, Branson, Levinson, and Wheeler. Women in those families do not suffer fools._

 _Now, as to the ornaments, I saw them and thought of your two little stars. I've always loved the part of the Nativity Story where the Star of Bethlehem guided the Magi to the manger. I like to think of your little ones as my own stars guiding me to England. Lord knows, I wouldn't leave New York for Christmas for just anyone! I hope to see these ornaments with their pictures in them when I get to Downton on the 23_ _rd_ _. Please don't disappoint an old, but still glamourous, woman._

 _See you all soon!_

 _Love,_

 _Martha_

Sybil sniffed a little as she finished reading the letter. She looked over at her husband and children and smiled. _Oh, my children are so lucky to have grandmama in their life._ Her thoughts were interrupted by Rory leaping out of Tom's arms and onto Moira, tackling his sister and giving her sloppy kisses.

"Ugh, Rory!"

Sybil rubbed her head as she and Tom attempted to intervene. _Stars guiding me to a headache_ , she thought as she entered the fray.


	2. Day 2: Snow

I'm sorry that I'm posting this today instead of last night. I was exhausted after writing this. I'll be updating this story again later today.

* * *

"Is it done, yet?" asked Moira, trying to peer through the oven door.

Sybil smiled. "Not yet, darling. About another five minutes."

The little girl huffed, impatiently waiting for the cake her and her mum were making together.

Seeing this, her mother knelt down to the three year old's eye level and said, "Do you want to go inside and watch some TV?"

"Nuh-uh.""

"Okay. Once the cake is done, I'll make us some lunch. Grilled cheese and tomato soup, okay?" Sybil asked her daughter.

Moira's eyes lit up. "Yes, please."

Sybil kissed her daughter's forehead and went to fetch the soup from the pantry. When she returned to the kitchen, the timer went off. Her daughter, now sitting at the table, jumped in her seat. Sybil smiled at Moira's actions. Then, she grabbed an oven mitt and removed the cake from the oven.

It was the picture of perfectly cooked chocolate cake, with two separate pans for the layers. Sybil quickly did the toothpick test and was relieved when it came out clean both times.

Moira was dancing in her seat. "When can we decorate it?"

"After lunch. The cake needs to be completely cool before we ice it. We don't want the icing to melt off. Right?"

"Right," the little girl replied with a firm nod of her head.

Sybil then went about making up the soup and sandwiches. While the soup was simmering, and after about ten minutes had passed, she removed the cake from their pans and placed them on her cooling racks. _I cannot thank Maureen enough for these_ , she thought.

Soon, mother and daughter were eating and laughing together. It soothed Sybil's heart that she was giving Moira some one-on-one attention that she needed. Thankfully, the Branson boys were in London today having fun with Grandpa Robert. Glancing at the clock, Sybil saw that they would be home in an hour or so.

She turned to Moira. "I think the cake should be cool now. Let's clean up and start decorating it!"

"Yay!"

Moira assisted her mother with clean up, bringing the bowls and plates to the sink. The dishes were soon cleaned and it was time to ice the cake. Sybil place one layer of the cake on the cake dish and placed two dollops of cream cheese icing in the center of the layer.

"Hold onto the spatula, Moira. I'll help you ice the cake."

"Okay, mummy."

Together, mother and daughter iced the cake. Once they were done with the first layer, Sybil placed the second layer on top and they repeated everything.

"Okay, there's just one thing missing," she said. She walked over to the counter and pulled out a white container.

Walking back over, she showed Moira the container. "It's edible white snowflake confetti." She handed the container to her daughter. "Make it snow, Moira."

"AHHH!" the three year old screamed. She excitedly took the container from her mother and began to sprinkle the cake with the snowflakes. While a good portion of the confetti fell on the floor, Sybil didn't have it in her heart to mind. All she saw was the pure joy on her daughter's face.

Twenty minutes later, Sybil was cleaning up the kitchen while Moira watched _Frosty the Snowman_ , when the Branson boys returned home. Tom got Rory out of his jacket and placed him on the floor next to Moira. Entering the kitchen, he saw Sybil on the floor, vacuuming up white specks.

Tapping her on the shoulder, he asked, "What are you doing?"

She started at his touch, not expecting him. Sybil smiled. "I'm vacuuming up all the edible snowflake confetti that Moira got on the floor."

"I need to see them," he laughed out.

His wife pointed to the cake on the counter. "They're on the cake Moira and I made. And there are still some left in the container they came in."

Tom glanced around the kitchen. "I don't see any container, Syb."

Her head popped up. "I left it the table."

"It's not there."

"That's odd," she said. "I was sure I placed it…"

Her voice died down as she heard Moira singing.

"Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!"

Her words were followed by a shaking sound.

Tom and Sybil turned to each other, eyes wide with fear. They bolted for the living room. Entering the room, they saw their three year old sprinkling the snowflakes over her brother, singing as he laughed.

"Moira, what are you doing?" asked Tom.

"I'm making it snow for Rory. He likes the snowflakes."

He turned to Sybil, kissed her temple, and took charge of clean up.


	3. Day 3: Wreath

This is my second update of the day. I'm not sure about this one, but I hope everyone enjoys it.

* * *

Tom hadn't planned on shopping for Christmas decorations today. Moira was at her Montessori school and was going to be sleeping over at her best friend Alice's tonight, so he didn't need to worry about picking her up that afternoon. Sybil was working a twelve hour shift at the hospital and wouldn't be home until 8 PM. All Tom had to worry about was taking care of Rory, who was an easygoing baby.

Everything started off as planned. Tom made scrambled eggs and soldiers for breakfast for his children and himself. Moira was picked up by Joan who also took the little girl's overnight bag with her.

Then it was just Rory and Tom. The morning went smoothly, with father and son playing together. Tom needed to work on his novel, so he placed Rory in his playpen after forty-five minutes. He put on some holiday tunes while his son played with two toy cars. Tom wrote for two hours as Rory played and eventually took his morning nap. Lunch even went well, with the duo sharing mac and cheese.

It all went topsy-turvy when Tom went to put Rory down for his afternoon nap. The eleven month old refused to go down even though he kept rubbing his eyes. After an hour of struggling, he decided to take the little boy for a ride, hoping the car ride would lull Rory to sleep. No such luck.

After a half hour of driving around and with Rory still fighting sleep, Tom pulled in to the parking lot of the John Lewis he was passing. He put his son into the baby carrier and entered the store. He walked around with a grumpy Rory, looking around at the Christmas decorations.

Finally, after strolling up and down the aisles for fifteen minutes, his son fell asleep. Tom decided to continue browsing, wanting to make sure that Rory stayed asleep. It was while walking down the wreath aisle, Tom saw a lovely, festive wreath. It was comprised of red berries, cones, and rosehips. _It would be the perfect to hang on our door_ , he thought. _Especially after our last wreath was accidentally dumped by my father._

 _Malachy Branson was trying to assist his son with taking down and putting away Christmas decorations. The only problem was that he was distracted by his two grandchildren. Moira kept coming over to him for hugs and kisses, while Rory made adorable baby noises from his bassinet._

 _Tom had handed him their wreath, the first Christmas decoration he and Sybil had purchased together, to be stowed away. However, just after taking hold of it, Rory began to cry and Malachy hurried over to pick him up for a cuddle, putting down the wreath. After ten minutes, his grandson fell back asleep and the two older Branson men went back to work._

 _An hour later, they brought out the Christmas tree and garland to be dumped. When Tom and Malachy returned, they proceeded to pack away the ornaments and other non-disposable decorations. It was only when Tom began to look for the wreath to put back in its box that he realized it was nowhere to be found._

 _Malachy remembered putting the wreath down, only in the garbage pile. They ran to the door, hoping to retrieve the wreath before the garbage was picked up. Unfortunately, they were too late. Not only had the garbage been picked up already, but the truck was already rounding the corner._

Tom gave a little smile as he looked at the wreath. While their old wreath held many memories for him and Sybil, he liked the idea of getting a new wreath now that they were four instead of two. This wreath was cheerier and more festive.

Tom pulled the wreath from the shelf and strolled to the checkout line, happy with his unexpected find.


	4. Day 4: Candy Cane

Thank you everyone who has read and/or reviewed the fic. I'm challenging myself this year to not go the easy route with the prompts. Thankfully, Google has been helpful with inspiring me, as it did with this drabble. Happy Reading!

* * *

Sybil took a final bite of her Niçoise salad, savoring the perfectly cooked tuna, olive, and potato. She gazed over to her dining companion and smiled.

"Thank you, mum, for insisting we have lunch together today. I almost feel bad for dad being stuck with both Moira and Rory today." She gave her empty salad plate a quick glance. "Almost."

Cora laughed at her daughter's words. "I'm glad I needled you. Besides, your father can handle those two for a few hours. It helps that Rory can't walk yet."

Sybil nodded her head. "Though he'll be walking soon. He's pulling himself up by holding onto the sofa or the ottoman. He's even lifting his legs while he stands."

"But no steps yet?" asked Cora.

Her daughter shook her head. "Moira was already walking at this age. Should I be worried that he's not walking yet?"

"Not at all," answered her mother. "You were thirteen months old when you began to walk, Edith was eleven months old, and Mary was twelve months old. Each child is different."

Sybil was about to respond to her mother's words when their server, Louise, came up to them. "Would you like some dessert? We have crème brûlée, tarte tatin, and an assortment of macaron."

Both women perked up when the heard macaron. It was a personal favorite of both mother and daughter.

"I'll have a Café Américain and the macaron," Cora responded.

Sybil nodded her head. "The same for me."

"Great. We have coffee, chocolate, rose, vanilla, and for the season, candy cane. You can choose any three flavors you want or three of the same flavor."

"Candy cane," Sybil excitedly announced.

Cora chuckled. "I'll have rose, chocolate, and candy cane, please."

Louise took down their order and cleared their empty plates from the table.

Mother and daughter talked for the next several minutes. Louise then returned with their coffees and macaron. Sybil's eyes lit up when her macaron were placed in front of her. She giggled and danced in her seat, excited and awed by how beautiful they were.

"They look almost too pretty eat," she said. Picking one up and taking bite, she moaned and rolled her eyes, in complete macaron and candy cane heaven.

"Almost being the key word," her mother replied.

As she sipped her Américain, Sybil grinned. "Tease me all you want, but this is better than eating an actual candy cane."

She then popped the rest of her half eaten macaron in her mouth and reached for another one from her plate.


	5. Day 5: Ice

I'm sorry I didn't post this last night! I went through several versions of this and only finished/posted it shortly before midnight. This one is shorter than the previous ones. I hope you all like it.

* * *

The Bransons were walking through Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland together, having just taken a ride on the Christmas Carousel. While Moira rode a horse while Tom held her, Sybil sat in a sleigh on the carousel with Rory. The little boy loved the music, laughing throughout their turn.

Now, the family was strolling along, Tom holding his daughter's hand and gently guiding her to the attraction he knew Moira would love. Sybil followed behind, pushing their son in his buggy.

They turned a corner and Moira gasped and suddenly stopped. Not that far ahead, was the entrance to the Magical Ice Kingdom. The little girl squealed and headed straight for the attraction, dragging her father behind her. Tom glanced behind him to his wife and son, but Sybil just laughed.

"You go on ahead. We'll catch up with you two."

Tom smiled and returned his attention to Moira. Before Sybil knew it, they had disappeared around a corner.

Fifteen minutes later, she and Rory caught up with them. Moira was standing in the Ice Castle, gazing at the Ice Dragon. Sybil smiled at the sight, especially the look of wonder on her daughter's face. She nudged Tom and motioned for him to take a picture. He chuckled and took his iPhone out and began clicking away.

A few minutes later, Moira turned and saw her mother.

"Mummy! Come and meet Icy!"

Sybil chuckled and walked over, leaving Rory with his daddy. She took her daughter's hand when she got to her.

Moira smiled. "Mummy, this is Icy. Icy this is mummy. He can't shake your hand right now. He's fighting the mean knights."

Sybil laughed and hugged her daughter. Turning her attention to the ice sculpture, she courtseyed and introduced herself. "Good morning, Icy."

Moira giggled and continued to talk to Icy the Dragon for another five minutes.

As he looked on, Tom was happy that they had given their daughter an ice kingdom, even just for a day.


	6. Day 6: Frost

I'm dedicating this to the Yankee Countess. She made a request for some couple time. I hope she likes this.

* * *

Sybil was busy tucking Moira into bed while Tom cleaned up downstairs and made a special treat for the two of them. Her daughter had grabbed _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_ and Sybil was reading it to her.

And he puzzled and puzzed, till his puzzler was sore.  
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!  
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.  
Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more."

She closed the book and turned to her daughter expecting her to still be awake. To Sybil's surprise, Moira was down for the count. She smiled as she quietly rose from the bed and left the room. Sybil popped into Rory's nursery to check on him. Her little boy was still asleep and likely would be for the rest of the night. Sybil kissed her fingers and tapped the baby gently on the head with them.

Sybil went to her bedroom and changed into her comfy nightwear. She grabbed the portable DVD player from the closet and the DVD she had left on the nightstand earlier. Sybil then hopped onto the bed and stretched out, waiting for Tom.

She didn't have to wait long. Two minutes later, her husband walked in carrying a tray with two glasses on it.

"You're adult frosty, my lady, slightly modified."

Sybil laughed. "How did you modify it?"

He grinned. "I replaced the regular Kahlua with peppermint mocha Kahlua and regular Bailey's with the new Espresso Crème one."

"You made a peppermint mocha frosty for me! You're the best husband!"

He dramatically sighed. "One must be to have a wife like you."

Sybil laughed again. "Put the tray down and get changed. I want to start the movie soon."

He nodded his head and placed the tray on his nightstand. As he began to change, Tom asked, "What movie did you pick out?"

"The _Miracle on 34_ _th_ _Street_. Perfect for a couple to watch, yet also perfect if one or both of our children wake up."

Tom smiled at his wife's forethought. He finished putting his pajamas on and hopped onto bed. The couple spent the next few minutes getting comfortable, with Tom propping up the pillows behind his back and Sybil crawling between his legs and resting her back against his chest.

Once they were settled, he grabbed the frosties from the tray and handed one to his wife. She took an eager sip and moaned.

"This is heavenly," Sybil exclaimed. "I'm so glad Rory's weaned now so I can enjoy this. Though this is so good that even if he wasn't, I'd drink the whole thing."

Tom laughed at his wife's enthusiasm. He kissed her head and leaned back against the pillows.

"Right now, I'm glad that the kids are asleep and we both have the energy to watch a movie together."

Sybil turned her head so she could see her husband. "I know, darling, and I'm sorry. My work hours are crazy right now. Hopefully, they'll improve in the new year."

Tom hugged her from behind. "I understand, love. Thankfully, we have all of Christmas week to spend together, even if it is at Downton."

His wife smiled at his words. She handed him her frosty and moved to sit next to him, linking her arm with his. "I don't feel like watching a movie now."

He arched his eyebrow. "What do you want to do instead?"

Taking her frosty back from him, Sybil replied, "I'd rather talk to you."

Grinning, Tom leaned in for a quick kiss which Sybil happily reciprocated. He broke away and took a sip of his frosty. "Me too."

The couple spent the next several hours drinking their frosties and talking to each other without interruption.


	7. Day 7: Tree

Tom and Rory were waiting outside Moira's Montessori school with the other parents and younger siblings. She and her classmates would be getting out soon and he had a surprise waiting for her at home.

Their neighbor and friend Joan came up and greeted them. "Hi Tom! And hi Rory!"

Rory gave Joan a grin and said, "Hi!"

His father also replied. "Hi. Thanks for having Moira sleepover last week. She asked if Alice could sleepover this week. Sybil and I told her we had to ask you first."

She laughed. "That's fine. Andrew and I have wanted to have a date night. Does Thursday work for you?"

Tom nodded. "Yes. Sybil has Thursday off and a later shift on Friday, so we should be able to handle two three year olds and this little guy."

The two adults continued their conversation for the next several minutes. They were so deep into their talk that they didn't see the kids being let out of school. They were only made aware of the kids approaching when Rory shouted, "MoMo! MoMo! MoMo!"

Moira and Alice approached their parents. "Hi," they said in unison. "Hi, Rory," both girls added.

Tom and Joan informed the girls that they would have a sleepover at the Bransons on Thursday night. Moira and Alice jumped up and down and shouted, which amused Rory. After several more minutes of talking, the group split up and head to their respective vehicles.

Pulling away from the school, Tom began to talk to Moira. "I have a surprise for you at home. I've been waiting to open it since this morning. I think Rory was curious about it too. He kept crawling over to the box and even tried to climb it once."

Moira's face lit up. "Is it a present?"

"No, but I think you'll like it."

Twenty minutes later, the trio was back at home. Moira and Tom were in the dining room while Rory played in the living room.

"What is it?" asked the little girl.

Tom laughed. "Let's open it, shall we."

He grabbed a pair of scissors and cut open the tap on the box. Once that was done, Moira opened the box and combed through the packing peanuts. Reaching something prickly, she and Tom pulled out a small Christmas tree.

"It's a tree!" she shouted.

Tom chuckled. "It is. It's a table top tree."

Moira's face became puzzled. "What?"

"It's a tree that goes up on a table instead of on the floor. Your mummy and I thought that with Rory able to crawl around, this would be better than a big tree. Also, it's not real."

"But I like real trees!"

"So do I, but we're going to be spending Christmas week at Downton with grammy and grampy. We won't be able to take care of the tree."

She thought over his words for a minute or two. "Okay."

Tom bent down and kissed Moira on top of her head. "Did you see the lights?"

"There's lights on the tree! Oh wow!"

"Now why don't you help me find the perfect spot for this tree. It deserves a special place in the living room, doesn't it?"

Moira nodded her head. "Let's go, daddy."

She pulled her father into the living room and together they chose a place for the tree. This was despite the best efforts of Rory to play with his sister.


	8. Day 8: Decorations

I'm sorry I'm posting this so late. I finished typing and posting this onto tumblr around a quarter to midnight last night. I was under the weather and just couldn't do much more. I hope this won't happen again.

I hope all of you enjoy this next chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Tom walked into the living room carrying a tray with three mugs on it, a washcloth, baby ibuprofen, and apple sauce. He placed it on the side table and began to pass out the mugs.

"Moira, here's your hot chocolate?"

"With marshmallows?" she asked.

"With marshmallows." He handed her the mug and continued speaking. "Remember to blow on the cocoa and you must sit down while you drink it."

The little girl carefully sat on the floor and began to blow on her cocoa. Tom turned to his wife who was sitting on their couch and cuddling their son.

"Your tea, love. And the warm washcloth for Rory's ear." He handed the items to her. Sybil placed her cup down next to her and began to tend to their ill son. "How is he?"

"Not happy."

Rory had woken up in the middle of the night with a fever. At first, Sybil had suspected the flu. However, noticing he was tugging his left ear and was irritable, she realized it was an ear infection. The doctor had confirmed her suspicions and recommended some at home care. This included a warm compress for the little boy's ear and baby ibuprofen to be taken with apple sauce. It also meant that Rory only wanted his mummy.

"Mumma," the little boy whimpered, curling into his mother.

His parents' hearts tugged at his plea. Sybil placed the compress on his ear with one hand and gently stroked his back with the other.

"I'm here, baby. Mumma's got you."

Tom bent down and gave Sybil a kiss on the cheek. He hated it when the kids were ill. He never felt more useless.

He sat down and took a sip of his tea. The family sat like that for several minutes, until Moira piped up from the floor.

"Decorations, daddy?"

Tom grinned. "Yes, we're going to decorate. Give mummy your mug."

She carefully got up and walked over to her mother, handing her the mug. Then Moira turned towards her father. "Let's decorate!"

Rory whined at her shout. Before her parents could say anything, Moira leaned over and kissed him on the head. "Sorry, Rory," she whispered.

Tom and Sybil smiled at each other, touched by their daughter's gesture. Before they could say or do anything, Moira was tugging on her father's arm.

"Alright, let's start decorating. Let's start with ornaments for the tree."

Together, father and daughter spent the next thirty minutes picking out ornaments for their small tree. Occasionally, Sybil would give her opinion, sometimes approving, while sometimes nixing an ornament.

Seeing that Rory's fever wasn't going down, Sybil decided to give him the medication. She decided to first give him some apple sauce, then the medication, and finally more apple sauce. It was a bit of a struggle, but eventually she was able to feed and medicate her son.

As she did this, Tom and Moira, but mostly Tom, placed the ornaments on the tree. The two paused when it came to the tree topper.

"Syb," Tom said, "which tree topper should we put on the tree?"

She gazed at the tree and though the question over.

"I want the angel," Moira announced.

"Hmmm…I think that'll be too heavy for this year's tree. Why don't we go with the star? It'll light our way home."

"Okay," mumbled the three year old, clearly disappointed in the decision.

Wanting to distract her, Tom asked, "Let's put up some garland."

"Okay."

They continued decorating for the next forty-five minutes, stopping when Moira began to yawn. The little girl grabbed a pillow and a blanket, and laid down on the floor. Rory, fighting sleep himself, saw his sister and softly called out to her.

"MoMo! MoMo!"

Syb smiled. "Do you want to lie down with Moira?"

He nodded his head.

"Moira, is that okay with you?"

"Yes," she replied, throwing a corner of the blanket open.

Sybil placed Rory next to his sister. He curled into his heroine and soon fell asleep. Moira was about to follow, when her eyes popped open.

She whispered, "Mummy, daddy, I have a decoration in my bag. Can you put it up?"

"Of course," Tom answered.

Her eyes closed and she soon joined her brother in sleeping. Sybil grabbed Moira's school bag and looked through it. Not seeing anything directly, she opened a folder. The decoration inside touched her heart.

"Oh Tom, look at what Moira made in school."

She held up the decoration, a paper ornament of a drawing of their family. Rory and Moira were holding hands in the picture.

Tom gave a gentle smile and turned towards his sleeping children. "I think that ornament deserves to be front and center on our tree. Do you agree?"

Sybil returned his smile. "You read my mind, darling.


	9. Day 9: Gingerbread

All I have to say is this heralds the return of the bromance!

* * *

Tom was sitting in his office, reviewing the last paragraph he had written that day, when he heard his phone go off. He grabbed it and saw there was a text message from Matthew.

Matthew: I'm sorry this is last minute, but I'm on my way over. Need to talk.  
Tom: How far away are you?  
Matthew: 15 minutes  
Matthew: I have gingerbread cake and gingerbread men from Vera's Bakery  
Tom: I'll put a pot of coffee on  
Tom: See you soon

He put his phone down and went to put a pot on to brew. Once that was going, Tom went into the living room to check on a sleeping Rory. While he still was ill, the little boy was much better than he was the day before. Seeing that his son was still asleep, Tom checked the time. _Matthew will be here soon. I might have thirty minutes before Rory wakes._

Sure enough, ten minutes later, he heard Matthew pulling up outside. Tom hurried to the door and opened it before his friend could ring the doorbell.

Matthew had his hand out to ring the bell when the door opened. He smirked at his friend. "Couldn't wait to get your hands on the gingerbread cake."

Tom chuckled. "No. Rory has an ear infection. He's asleep right now and I didn't want the doorbell to wake him."

"I understand."

Tom opened the door wide and gestured for Matthew to enter.

Five minutes later, the two friends were sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee and eating the cake.

"Where's Moira?" asked Matthew.

"She's at school today. Full days on Mondays and Wednesdays and half days on Thursdays. The teacher thinks she's ready to up to three full days soon." He took a sip of his coffee. "She'll be disappointed that you came over when she wasn't here."

Matthew chuckled. "I know, but she'll get to see me during Christmas at Downton."

Tom raised his eyebrow. "I didn't know that you were going to be spending Christmas at Downton this year. Aislinn said that you two were spending it together."

"We still are. She's going too."

"Isn't that going to be awkward?" asked Tom.

"As long as Violet and Cora don't try to push Mary and me together, everything should be fine."

Tom scratched his head. "Do they know the reason why you and Mary ended your relationship?"

Matthew shrugged. "I have no clue. It's up to Mary to tell them."

"Is this why you wanted to come over? To strategize over keeping Aislinn safe from my in-laws?" He glanced down at the gingerbread cake. "You didn't need to bring the cake over for that."

His friend's face paled. He swallowed and then faced Tom. "That's not why I came over." Matthew paused and ran his hand through his hair. "I'm going to propose to Aislinn."

Tom swallowed the bit of cake he was eating the wrong way on hearing that and began to cough. To make matters worse, Rory chose that exact moment to wake up. Tom signaled for Matthew to go get Rory. He then got a glass of water and took a few sips, coughing a bit more to clear his throat.

Matthew returned with a slightly grumpy Rory in his arms. As soon as he saw his daddy, the little boy reached out for him. Tom happily took him and returned to his seat.

"I'm sorry about that. I just wasn't expecting you to say that."

"Do you mind?" Matthew nervously asked.

"No. Besides, it's not my place to mind."

"Aislinn _is_ your younger sister."

"And she's a grown woman," responded Tom. "I admit I was worried about you hurting her when I found out about the two of you. However, now I know you love my sister."

Matthew grinned. "Any advice on what ring I should get her?"

Tom laughed, startling both his friend and his son. "You're asking the wrong Branson. Sybil would be the best person to ask."

Rory grumbled from his daddy's lap. Both men chuckled.

"Are those soft or hard gingerbread biscuits?" asked Tom.

"Hard."

"Perfect. Can you hand me one to give to Rory?"

Matthew was surprised. "Is he allowed to have biscuits?"

"Well, we do limit the sugar he eats, but I don't think a little gingerbread will hurt him. As long as it's hard, he can gnaw on it."

"Okay,"

He opened the box and pulled out a gingerbread man. Matthew handed it to Tom, who broke the head off and handed it to his son. Rory stared at the bit of biscuit for a moment before he stuck it in his mouth.

As he carefully watched his son, Tom asked, "When are you planning to propose?"

"Christmas Eve or Christmas day, but not in front of the family."

They talked for a little while longer, before Matthew needed to leave to finish Christmas shopping.

"I'll ask Sybil to call you about ring shopping. Thank you for the gingerbread cake."

* * *

 _Several hours later…_

Sybil yawned as she entered the house. It was nearly nine and the house was quiet. _The kids must be in bed_ , she thought.

After hanging up her coat, she shuffled into the kitchen. Sybil was surprised to see her husband sitting at the table, holding a sleepy and fussy Rory in one arm while he ate a slice of gingerbread cake with his other hand.

She gave him a tired smile. "That looks good. Where did you get it?"

Tom chuckled. "Matthew brought it over to butter me up."

"Why?" Sybil asked.

"He plans on proposing to Aislinn. He wanted to know if I was okay with it and what type of ring to get her. I told him I'm okay with it and to ask you about rings."

She chuckled. "I'll call him tomorrow."

Sybil pulled a chair over and sat next to Tom. She took his fork from him and took a huge bite of the cake. "Matthew really wanted your approval. This is good cake."

"And good gingerbread people. Rory and Moira both liked them."

She smiled. "Let me take him. I think this little gingerbread lover needs to go to bed."


	10. Day 10: Hot Chocolate

Thursday Morning  
Sainsbury's

Sybil pushed the trolley into the next aisle. She grabbed her list from the lap of a sleeping Rory and checked to see what she needed. _Marshmallows, hob nobs, jaffa cakes, eggs, milk, Irish cheddar…Thank god I'm almost done._

She pushed the trolley forward, wanting to see what marshmallows the store had. Stopping halfway down the aisle, Sybil saw all the different varieties of marshmallows available.

"Jesus," she muttered to herself. There were regular sized marshmallows, mini marshmallows, marshmallows made for s'mores, even toasted coconut marshmallows.

"Let's see. They have flavors. Gingerbread – ugh, no. Sugar cookie. So extra sugar. Chocolate mint. That could work. It would be different for the girls tonight."

She smiled as she tossed them into the cart and made her way to the dairy aisle.

* * *

Thursday Night  
The Branson's Cottage

"Who wants hot chocolate?" Tom asked loudly.

"I do! I do! I do!" exclaimed Moira and Alice in unison as the jumped up and down with their arms raised.

Rory, amused by the two girls, laughed and imitated them by raising his arm.

"Okay, two hot chocolates for you two. And I'm sorry, my boy, but you're too young."

Sybil chuckled as she came into the room. "The supplies are all on the counter, including the marshmallows I picked up today." Looking directly at Moira and Alice, she added, "Chocolate mint."

"Ooooh," they responded.

Tom laughed. "I'll go make the hot chocolate with chocolate mint marshmallows. Do you want a cup, love?

"Yes. Thank you. I'll help these two pick out a movie."

Tom made his way to the kitchen, all the while listening to the kids in the living room. Once in the kitchen, he went about making the hot chocolate. He added milk and fresh vanilla bean pods to a pan and placed it on the stove. He then measured out the chocolate chips and set them aside.

Returning his attention to the milk, Tom turned on the stove and began to whisk the milk as it heated. Once it was heated, he turned off the stove, placed the pan on the counter, and added in the chocolate chips. He began to vigorously whisk in the chips.

Once they were fully incorporated, he poured the hot chocolate into four mugs. Tom then opened the marshmallows and popped one into his mouth.

"Hmmm. Not bad," he uttered to himself.

Tom proceeded to add five marshmallows to each mug and placed the mugs onto a tray.

Returning to the living room, he saw that Moira and Alice had chosen to watch _Frozen_.

"The sky's awake so I'm awake," said little Anna.

"Hot chocolate's ready," exclaimed Tom.

The girls shouted. "Yay!"

Sybil rose from her spot on the sofa and helped Tom hand out the mugs of hot chocolate. While the girls settled back down on the floor, the couple sat together on the sofa, each clutching their mugs of hot chocolate.

"Where's Rory?" asked Tom.

"He's asleep in his playpen."

Sybil snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Tom smiled and took a sip of his hot chocolate.

"Those marshmallows are very good, love."

She smiled. "I'm glad. I thought they would be different."

"This is the best hot chocolate!" exclaimed Alice.

Moira nodded her head in agreement. "Minty hot chocolate is the best!"

Sybil laughed. _Minty hot chocolate is the best_ , she thought.


	11. Day 11: Carols

I'm dedicating this to Cassiemortmain, who is under the weather, and the Yankee Countess, because of our mutual love of _The Muppets Christmas Carol_.

* * *

"Mummy, can we play Christmas music?" asked Moira.

Sybil looked up from changing her son's nappy. "Sure, poppet. Let me finish putting a clean nappy on your brother."

"Okay."

Rory babbled from the floor, moving his legs constantly, which made it difficult for his mother to get the nappy in place. After a few minutes, Sybil finally got the nappy in place and buttoned up his blue dungarees. He crawled away towards his older sister as soon as he could.

"MoMo!"

Sybil laughed as she rose from the floor. She grabbed her iPhone from the end table and hooked it up to the speaker. She selected the Christmas playlist that she and Moira put together recently, placed it on shuffle, and raised the volume.

As the music started, Rory began to clap and laugh. Moira, enjoying her brother's laughter, started to sing.

 _'Tis the season to be jolly and joyous  
Fa la laa  
With a burst of pleasure we feel it arrive  
Fa la laa  
It's a season when the Saints can employ us  
Fa la laa  
To spread the news about peace and to keep love alive_

Sybil laughed as she watched her children interact with each other and the music, especially as the song changed to a new favorite of her daughter's.

 _Hey! Chingedy ching,  
(Hee-haw, hee-haw)  
It's Dominick the donkey.  
Chingedy ching,  
(Hee-haw, hee-haw)  
The Italian Christmas donkey.  
_ _(La la la-la la-la la la la la)  
(La la la-la la-la la-ee-oh-da)_

Rory heartily chuckled when his older sister made the donkey noises. He even started to sing along as best as he could, joining in with Moira as she la-laed.

 _Santa's got a little friend,  
His name is Dominick.  
The cutest little donkey,  
You never see him kick.  
When Santa visits his paisons,  
With Dominick he'll be.  
Because the reindeer cannot,  
Climb the hills of Italy._

As the song returned to the chorus, Moira took her baby brother's hands in hers and swung them to the music. She exaggerated the donkey noises, making him laugh even harder. This went on for the rest of the song.

They went through several more songs – including "Deck the Halls," "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" – before another favorite of Moira's began to play.

 _As I sat in my window last evening,  
The letterman brought it to me  
A little gilt-edged invitation sayin'  
"Gilhooley come over to tea"_

"Miss Fogarty's," she yelled.

Following along, she knew when the chorus would begin and went over to her brother. "Clap with me, Rory!"

 _There were plums and prunes and cherries,  
There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon, too  
There was nutmeg, cloves and berries  
And a crust that was nailed on with glue  
There were caraway seeds in abundance  
Such that work up a fine stomach ache  
That could kill a man twice after eating a slice  
Of Miss Fogarty's Christmas cake._

Tom came into the house towards the end of the song. He stood on the landing, watching as his daughter and son laughed and clapped to the music. As the last chorus launched, he decided to join in.

 _There were plums and prunes and cherries,  
There were citrons and raisins and cinnamon, too  
There was nutmeg, cloves and berries  
And a crust that was nailed on with glue  
There were caraway seeds in abundance  
Such that work up a fine stomach ache  
That could kill a man twice after eating a slice  
Of Miss Fogarty's Christmas cake._

As the song ended, Rory and Moira collapsed onto the floor in a fit of giggles. Tom and Sybil greeted each other with a passionate kiss.

"What have I missed today?" he asked.

Sybil grinned as she replied. "Moira entertaining Rory with carols."

Tom laughed. "I saw a bit from the landing. I'm glad I arrived home to join in for Miss Fogarty's."

As "Marley and Marley" commenced, the parents turned to their children and watched as Moira reenacted the scene from _The Muppets Christmas Carol_ for Rory, who sat enrapt.

"She's too much," Tom said.

"Just like my grandmother."


	12. Day 12: Mistletoe

I raised the rating on the story due to this chapter. It's not M, but it's definitely PG-13/T.

* * *

 _Saturday Afternoon_

Sybil was finishing putting together an overnight bag for her children when she heard the doorbell ring. She added an additional set of baby pajamas to the bag and zipped it up. Then she grabbed it and headed downstairs.

Opening the door, she smiled at her mother. "Hi, mum!"

Cora pulled her daughter into a hug. "Hello, darling. Are the kids ready to go?"

"Yes. I just finished putting a bag together for them. I just need to put jackets on them."

"I'll help you. I remember from when you and your sisters were that age how long it could take to put a jacket on one child, let alone two."

Sybil laughed at the truth in her mother's words. They walked into the living room and were greeted by Moira.

"Hi grammy!"

His sister's shout caught Rory's attention from his spot in his playpen. He turned and grinned when he saw his grandmother.

"I'll take Rory," Sybil decidedly said, "and you can take Moira."

"Perfect," replied Cora.

Together, the two women were able to quickly get the jackets on the two squirming children. Then Sybil and Cora brought them to Cora's car and out them in the car seats Robert had installed recently.

Leaning over Rory, Sybil kissed him on his plump cheeks and said, "I'm going to miss you tonight, little one." Looking up at her daughter, she added, "And you too."

Moira, unfazed by the idea of sleeping over at her grandparents, replied, "Bye, mumma," and waved.

Rory mimicked her gesture and waved by to his mummy. Sybil chuckled, got out of the car, and shut the door.

Turning towards her mother, she expressed her gratitude to her mother. "Mum, thank you for taking the kids for the night. I truly appreciate it and I know Tom will too."

Cora waved her hand. "It's not a problem, Sybil. They're my only grandchildren. I've been looking forward to having them spend the night since they were born!" She leaned towards her daughter and added in an undertone, "Your father is excited too! Moira has him wrapped around her little finger."

They laughed for a moment and two and then said their goodbyes, each kissing the other on the cheek.

"We'll pick them up tomorrow by noon. Again, thank you."

Cora smiled, got into the car, and drove away.

Returning inside, Sybil looked around the living room. She plopped down on the sofa and took a deep breath. It was so quiet in the house. _It's lovely_ , she thought.

She glanced at her watch and noticed she had three hours before Tom arrived home. Smirking, Sybil thought, _That's more than enough time._

* * *

 _Saturday Evening_

Sybil hurried to finish getting ready. Her husband had just texted her to let her know he was fifteen minutes away. She finished putting moisturizer on her body and threw on an oversized black jumper.

Hurrying down the stairs, she stopped to grab the box of matches she left on the table. Sybil lit a match and began to light the candles she strategically placed around the living room. Once that was done, she went into the kitchen and grabbed two wine glasses and the bottle of Sicilian Shiraz she left on the table.

Returning to the living room, Sybil sat down on a blanket she placed in front of the fire. Having already opened the wine earlier, she removed the stopper and poured the wine into the glasses. She placed them on the floor and picked up the piece of mistletoe she'd put aside.

It was at that moment that Tom arrived home. Hearing him drive up, Sybil straightened up, allowing the jumper to fall off her shoulder, revealing that she wasn't wearing a bra. She sat there waiting for Tom to come through the door.

The door opened and in walked Sybil's husband. She playfully smiled at him, fighting back a laugh at the stunned look on his face when he saw her.

"Well, hello," Tom managed to say.

"Hello," she responded.

He glanced around. "Where are the kids?"

"With my parents."

He slowly moved towards his wife. "So it's just the two of us?"

Sybil wolfishly grinned at him. "Yes."

Tom smiled at her and moved quicker. He sat down and took in his wife and all the work she put in to set up this alone time. "You've been busy this afternoon."

Lifting the mistletoe over his head, Sybil replied, "I have and I think I deserve a reward."

Tom took his cue, leaned in, and passionately kissed his wife. He slowly moved her so she was on her back and he was on top of her. He slowly slid his hand up her leg as they continued to kiss. As he reached where her underpants should be, Tom broke the kiss.

"You've been very naughty, Mrs. Branson."

Sybil wickedly chuckled and spread her legs open for her husband. "What are you going to do about it?"

He smirked and returned to kissing her, sliding his hand back up her leg. As he reached his intended destination, Sybil moaned.

 _Yes_ , she thought, _I've been very naughty._


	13. Day 13, Part I: Elf

This is the first of two updates for today. The Yankee Countess sent me the prompt elf from the Advent Prompt Calendar and I decided to write a bonus ficlet for today. I hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Grantham House, London  
7:30 AM Sunday

Cora was woken by a sharp kick to her backside. She opened one eye and grabbed the little clock on her nightstand. _7:30 in the morning! Why am I up this early?_

Another sharp jab followed her thought. Turning over, Cora found the source of the kicking. Her granddaughter Moira was in bed in between her grandparents, kicking away in her sleep. In addition to her granddaughter, her grandson Rory was asleep on top of Robert. The little boy was even in the elf booties she had bought for him.

The sight before both touched her and frustrated her _. These two have Robert wrapped around their little fingers. I can only imagine how Moira convinced him to let her into our bed. And Rory! Of course Sybil's and Tom's children would be mischievous elves!_

Cora sat there shaking her head, a bemused expression on her face, for a few moments. Realizing that she wasn't going to get back to sleep anytime soon, she grabbed _Little Women_ from her nightstand and began to read.

Fifteen minutes later, the littlest elf in their bed began to noisily stir, waking his grandfather in the process.

"Shhh, Rory," whispered Robert. "We don't want to wake Grammy and Moira up."

"Grammy is already up," interjected Cora.

Her husband turned his head to look at her, a sheepish expression on his face. "You're up early."

"Our granddaughter woke me up with her kicking." She sighed. "How did she convince you to let both her and Rory into our bed?"

"She looked at me with those beautiful, blue eyes and said 'pretty please'. Moira also thought Rory would get lonely in a room all by himself. He didn't protest."

Cora chuckled. "You spoil them so, darling."

Robert proudly grinned. "Good. That's my job as their grandfather."

Rory cried out at that moment, unhappy about being in a dirty diaper. Cora silently slipped out of bed and picked him up. She took him to the nursery to change his diaper. When she returned five minutes later, Moira was up.

"Good morning, Grammy. Morning, Rory."

"MoMo! MoMo!" he shouted.

Cora gave Robert a look.

Her husband, sensing he was in a bit of trouble, rose from the bed. He kissed his wife on the cheek and smiled at her.

"Why don't I go and make breakfast?" Robert asked. "I can bring it back here. You love breakfast in bed, Cora."

She laughed at how he was trying to butter her up. "Sounds like a great plan. I could go for eggs and bacon. And some coffee-"

"And pancakes," interrupted Moira.

"Yes," her Grammy agreed, "pancakes too. These two little elves and I will be here waiting for our food. Better get a move on, Robert."

He laughed and left the room. Despite the fact that he had to make a huge breakfast for the four of them, all Robert thought was that it was worth it.


	14. Day 13, Part II: Sled

This is the second update of the day. While you don't need to read Day 13, Part I to read this one, I do recommend reading it at some point.

* * *

The Bransons' Cottage, Surrey  
Sunday Afternoon

Tom was sitting in the living room reading as his children played. They had enjoyed their overnight stay with their grandparents and were now home.

Moira heavily sighed, breaking her daddy's concentration and causing him concern.

"Is there something wrong, Moira?" he asked.

She nodded her head. "There's no snow."

"I see. And you want it to snow?"

She nodded her head vigorously this time. "Yes. I want to use my sled."

Tom inwardly groaned. Note to self: Kick Matthew next time you see him for giving her that sled.

"I know you do. The weather people are predicting snow for Christmas. Maybe we can bring it with us to Downton."

"But that's so far away! Can't I use it now?" Moira asked.

Her daddy shook his head. "There's no snow outside."

"I can sit in it and watch Frozen."

Seeing the unsure look on her daddy's face, Moira went for pleading. "Please, daddy," she sweetly said, pouting her lips.

Sybil's going to kill me, he thought.

"Fine," Tom replied. "It's in the closet."

He went to the closet and began to search for the sled. After five minutes, he found it and pulled it out. As it was in the box that it came in, it took another ten minutes to remove it.

Once the sled was out of the box, Tom moved it in front of the TV. Moira excitedly toddled over to the chest where her parents kept extra pillows and blankets and pulled out a pillow and a holly colored blanket. She scampered to her sled and tossed them on top.

While Moira did that, Tom grabbed the Frozen DVD from the DVD stand and put it on for his daughter. He sat back down and watched his little girl as she eagerly prepared her sled for movie watching.

As soon as she got the pillow just how she wanted it, Moira crawled onto the sled, sat down, and covered herself with the blanket. She sat enraptured as the movie began.

She was up to the part in the film when young Anna sings "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?" when Rory crawled over to Moira.

"MoMo. MoMo," he said.

"What do you want, Rory?" she asked.

Not being able to verbalize what he wanted, the little boy tried to climb onto the sled. However, he ended up falling on his little butt.

"Oh! Okay, Rory. I'll help you," Moira replied.

She reached over and helped her little brother get onto the sled. Once up, he crawled in between his sister's legs, his back to her front. Moira protectively wrapped her arms around him, ensuring Rory wouldn't fall off.

Big sister and little brother sat that way for the rest of the film, eventually nodding off.

Tom smiled at the sight of his children sleeping. _Okay, I might not kick Matthew when I see him next._

Sybil entered the house just then, returning from work. Taking one look at her children sleeping on Moira's sled, she said, "I'm not going to ask."

With that, she hung up her coat and walked away.


	15. Day 14: Fireplace

A short, but sweet one for this lovely Monday night!

* * *

Tom followed the sound of his wife and son laughing into the living room. He chuckled at the sight on Rory cruising around the room. The little boy had started cruising around recently, holding onto the sofa and love seat to get around. While he did rely on crawling most of the time, especially when there were toys on the ground, he did love moving around the room.

Sybil enjoyed it as well. She was sitting in front of the fireplace, laughing and encouraging their son.

"Great job, Rory! Can you walk to mumma?"

Rory grinned at his mother, showing off his few baby teeth. "Mumma! Mumma!"

Then he surprised both of his parents. He let go of the sofa and began to take little steps towards his mother.

Sybil gasped and tears sprang to her eyes. She reached out her arms towards her son. "Come to mumma, baby. Come to mumma!"

As Rory continued to move towards Sybil, Tom was trailing behind him. All the while, he kept chanting under his breath, "You can do it, Rory. You can do it."

The little boy inched closer and closer to his mother. Finally, Rory reached Sybil's open and waiting arms.

She pulled him close to her and kissed him all over his face. "I'm so proud of you, little one!"

Tom hurried over to his wife and son, sitting together by the fireplace, and wrapped his arms around them, hugging them close. Then he pulled Rory into his arms and raised him above his head.

"You can walk now! I'm so proud of you!"

The little boy laughed heartily at his parents antics. Tom then returned him to the floor and coaxed his son into walking to him. That was how the trio spent the next half hour, each parent getting their little boy to walk back and forth between them in front of the fireplace.


	16. Day 15 - Elf

First, thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed the chapters. I truly appreciate all of your comments.

This is a bit comical and ridiculously fluffy, but I think we all could use more fluff. Enjoy!

* * *

Sybil held a fidgety Rory as she knocked on the door of Matthew's flat. Tom and Moira were still climbing up the stairs, as their daughter insisted on climbing up instead of being carried. They had just come up behind Sybil when the door opened, revealing Aislinn.

She beamed at her brother, sister-in-law, and niblings. "Hi! Come in! Come in!"

Aislinn waved the Bransons in and swooped in to hug Moira and Rory.

"Hi Auntie Ash!" exclaimed Moira as she waved her hand.

Rory followed his older sister's lead and waved his hand at his aunt. Aislinn laughed and kissed the little boy on the cheek.

Sybil and Tom were removing their jackets as Matthew came out of the kitchen.

"Hi Sybil," he said, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Tom."

Once they got through greetings, including Moira giving Matthew a fierce hug, Aislinn ushered the kids into the living room with Tom.

Sybil followed Matthew back into the kitchen, asking, "Do you have something non-alcoholic for me to drink? I'm the designated driver and I have an early shift at the hospital."

Her cousin nodded in the affirmative. Once they were inside the kitchen, Sybil asked, "Did you get the ring today?"

He grinned. "I did. I'm hiding it with the other presents in the closet."

"Did you go with the emerald or the sapphire?"

"The emerald. I know sapphire is Aislinn's birthstone, but I know she prefers emeralds."

Sybil smiled. "Now you just need to come up with how you're going to propose."

Matthew nodded. "I'm calling my mother for advice on that tomorrow."

"Fantastic!" She paused to sniff the air. "That smells heavenly. What did you make?"

Her cousin chuckled. "Thank you. I made macaroni and cheese, a crowd pleaser for all ages, broccoli, and baked herby chicken. And before you say anything, I made the mac and cheese and chicken over the weekend. They're reheating right now."

"You're going to make a wonderful husband," Sybil replied.

Fifteen minutes later, the group sat down to eat dinner. Everyone loved their food, especially Rory. Once the kids finished eating, Aislinn and Sybil brought them into the living room to watch a movie and play with some toys.

Returning to the dining table, the couples continued to eat and chat, all the while keeping an eye on the duo in the other room. At one point, the four adults broke out laughing at the sight of Rory crawling in front of the TV as Moira watched _Arthur Christmas_ , annoying her.

"Mumma, Rory keeps blocking the TV!" shouted the three year old.

The little boy smiled and laughed mischievously at his family, clearly pleased with himself.

After getting up and separating her children, Sybil returned to the table.

Fifteen minutes later, as they were talking, they heard a fight break out in the living room.

"Give it back!" shouted Moira.

Rory responded with an emphatic, "No."

"I found it!"

"No," the little boy replied again, this time making a crawl for the dining room.

The four adults jumped up from the table, concerned about the rare fight between the siblings. They hurried into the room.

Aislinn arrived in the room first and saw that her nephew had something in his hand and that her niece was trying to pry it away from him. Sybil came in behind her and went into discipline mode.

"That's enough," she firmly stated. "Moira, stop."

The little girl moved away from her brother and ran to her daddy. Meanwhile, Aislinn picked up her nephew who still clung to the square object in his hand.

"Daddy, Rory took the black box from me."

A puzzled expression came over his face. "What box?"

"The one I found in the closet. I was about to open it but Rory took it from me."

Matthew looked up in horror as he saw Aislinn finally pry the box out of her nephew's hand. Unfortunately, it opened as she did so, revealing the engagement ring he bought for her.

She gasped when she saw the ring, a beautiful silver Celtic knot design with an emerald in the center. "Oh Matthew!"

Tom and Sybil looked at each other, surprised at the night's events. Before they could react further, Matthew surprised them by dropping to one knee.

"I was going to do this on Christmas Eve or Day, but since you now know what I was planning to do thanks to these two elves," he said, eyeing Moira and Rory, "I'm, well…

Matthew took a deep breath. "I love you, Aislinn. You're a beautiful, smart, and funny woman. You make each day better. I think of you when I wake up and when I go to bed. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Aislinn Catherine Branson, will you marry me?"

Aislinn shouted her response. "Yes!"

Matthew jumped up from the ground and embraced his new fiancée. He removed the ring and slid it onto her finger. Then, he passionately kissed her.

Sybil and Tom looked on in delight, beaming at the newly engaged couple. Rory and Moira were both confused.

"Mumma, what's going on?"

Tom grinned and answered his daughter. "Matthew and Auntie Ash are getting married. He's going to be Uncle Matthew."

The little girl gasped in delight. "Yay! Uncle Matthew and Auntie Ash!"

She ran over and hugged her aunt's and uncle's legs, breaking them out of their reverie.

"Congratulations!" exclaimed Sybil, hurrying over to give the couple a hug.

Tom followed quickly behind her, giving a hug to his little sister and a mock stern look to Matthew.

Aislinn kissed Rory and handed him over to Sybil. Then she knelt down and hugged Moira.

"Thank you, you two elves, for giving me my Christmas gift early. And Matthew, this was perfect!"

With that, Aislinn sweetly kissed Matthew.


	17. Day 16: Tinsel

Sybil shoved open the door with her backside, lugging her son in her right arm and a bag of decorations for the Downton Christmas tree in the other.

Closing the door with her foot, she loudly said, "Ugh! That's the last time I'm going Christmas decoration shopping for my mother."

She schlepped into the living room and put Rory on the floor and the bag on the sofa. As soon as he was down, her son crawled away towards his toys. Sybil scrambled after him and struggled to get his jacket off of him.

Once Rory's jacket was off, she let him go and play with his toys. She took off her jacket and placed the jackets in the closet. Sybil returned to the living room to grab the bag of decorations when her iPhone began to ring. She grabbed the phone from her purse and saw it was her mother.

"Hi, mum," she said.

"Hi, darling," Cora replied. "How are you? Did you find the decorations I asked for?"

Sybil sighed. "I did. I don't understand why you couldn't pick these items up yourself."

Her mother chuckled. "Your father lacks imagination when it comes to decorating the tree. I figured if you brought these decorations, especially for Moira to use to decorate the tree, your father won't argue."

Sybil smiled. "So you're using the fact that my daughter has dad wrapped around her finger to your advantage."

"Yes," Cora replied.

Her daughter laughed on the other end. She turned her back to her son and asked, "Have you decided on the menu for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day yet?"

"I have," she paused for a moment. "I'm sorry Sybil, but I've arrived at your aunt's house. I'll call you later to go over the menu. Bye!"

"Bye, mum."

Sybil sighed and took a deep breath. She was about to go make lunch when she heard Rory heartily laughing behind her. Turning, she saw the little boy had gotten ahold of one of the bags of tinsel she had bought. Somehow, Rory had opened it and was playing with the silver threads, tossing them in the air and laughing as he did so.

She flashed back to a year ago when she caught Moira doing the same thing. "What is it with my children and tinsel?" she asked out loud to herself.

Sybil swooped in and picked Rory up. He grinned at his mother and showed the tinsel to her, babbling excitedly. She laughed at her son's reaction to the tinsel.

"I'm sorry, Rory, but that's not for you."

She then struggled to remove the tinsel from his fists, resulting in Rory crying. More so when Sybil placed him in his playpen while she removed the tinsel from the floor.

She had just finished cleaning up when Tom entered the house.

Seeing the look on her face, he asked, "What happened?"

" _Your son_ got into a bag of tinsel and started playing with it."

Tom chuckled. "Just like Moira did last year." He paused for a moment. "Our children love their tinsel."

Sybil shook her head. "Well, mumma needs a nap now."

She grabbed the shopping bag and kissed her husband on the cheek.

"Tag. Your it."

Sybil chuckled as she walked away.


	18. Day 17: Santa

_**Southbank Winter Market**_

After spending the morning together walking through the winter market, the Bransons were queued up to meet Santa Claus. Moira was excitedly hopping in place while Rory was busy looking at all the people and stalls around them as his daddy held him.

The queue inched up a bit more and Sybil craned her neck to see how much longer until her children met Santa. There were four families in front of them. _Good_ , she thought. _I can't wait for Rory to meet Santa_.

Fifteen minutes later, they were at the front of the queue.

"Mumma," Moira said, "can I go first?"

Sybil smiled. "I thought we'd let Rory go first this year. He didn't get to meet Santa before Christmas last year."

The little girl frowned, but replied, "Okay."

Tom smiled at his daughter. "Thank you, Moira."

The elf helper nodded at Tom and Sybil, and he took Rory up to Santa. He placed his son on Santa's lap and stepped back. That wasn't a good idea. Rory began to call for his parents.

"Mumma! Dada! Mumma!" he cried, fat tears rolling down his eyes.

Before Tom could grab his son, the elf took a picture, which only upset the baby even more. He hurried over and picked up his son who clung to his father.

Moira looked on in a mixture of alarm and confusion. "Mumma, what's wrong with Rory?"

Sybil gazed down at her daughter and answered, "I think he's afraid of Santa."

"But Santa's not scary."

"Maybe not to you, but to someone's Rory age, he can be scary."

"Oh."

The elf helper nodded for Moira to go forward and she scampered over to Santa.

"Merry Christmas Santa! I'm sorry about my brother. He'll like you next year."

"Ho-ho-ho! And Merry Christmas to you! What do you want for Christmas?"

"A train!"

Santa chuckled. "Anything else?"

"I'd like snow for Christmas."

He chuckled again. "I'll see what I can do."

The pair smiled for the picture. Moira hopped off Santa's lap and headed back to her mother. Sybil grabbed the photos and the pair caught up with Rory and Tom, who were standing about ten feet away from Santa's Grotto.

"How is he?" asked Sybil, rubbing her hand up and down her son's back.

"He's better now. He cried himself to sleep. Why don't we walk around a little bit more?"

The family did just that, though with a sleeping Rory now being pushed in his pram. Tom and Moira walked by a stand with knit materials and stopped to look at the items. He saw a cute little costume and purchased it. Then the pair rejoined Sybil and Rory and the family returned home.

* * *

 _ **Later that day**_

Sybil was sitting on the floor with Moira and Rory, waiting for her husband to join them.

"Tom, what's taking you long?" she shouted.

"I'll be right there!" he responded.

Two minutes later, he came out wearing a white knit hat, with attached Santa beard and moustache. Sybil held her breath, afraid Rory would start screaming his head off. Instead, he crooked his head a little and stared at Tom for several moments. Then his round, little face lit up.

"Dada! Dada!"

Sybil and Moira cracked up laughing, especially when Rory bolted from his mother's arms and toddled over to his daddy.

"Dada! Dada!"

Tom scooped his son up and planted a kiss on his cheek. The little boy touched the knit moustache and beard and giggled.

"Dada!"

"I knew he wouldn't mind this. See, he's not afraid of this Santa."

Sybil laughed. "Thank you, darling."


	19. Day 18: Goose

Seven days and prompts left until Christmas! I have a little nod to a past Christmas and Allen Leech in this story. It's a bit longer than usual, but I doubt you will mind.

* * *

Sybil checked her watch as she waited for her Winter Spice tea to finish brewing. Once it was finished, she carefully walked into the living room to check on her husband and two sleeping children.

"How are they?" she quietly asked.

Tom looked up from his laptop and quickly glance at his children, both sleeping sprawled out on the floor. "They're still asleep and probably will be for another hour. Go upstairs and talk with your mother. Send her my love."

Sybil gave him a small smile. "I will and thank you."

She quickly turned and left the room, carefully climbing the stairs. She walked to the master bedroom and shut the door, not wanting to disturb her children. She placed her mug of tea on her nightstand and opened her laptop, settling onto the bed.

When her laptop was up and running, Sybil opened up Skype, clicked 'Cora Cralwey', and then clicked video call. Her mother answered right away.

"Hello, Sybil!" Cora greeted. "How are you? How are Tom and the children?"

Sybil grinned. "Hi, mum. We're all well. We took Moira and Rory to the Winter Market in Southbank yesterday for some shopping and to meet Santa. Rory didn't like meeting Santa. He cried as soon as he was placed on Santa's lap. Tom took him away as soon as possible to calm down."

"Oh, my poor little darling! I hope Moira had a better experience."

Her daughter chuckled. "She did. She asked for a train and for snow on Christmas."

Cora chuckled. "Well, she is at least easy to please."

Sybil nodded her head. "That she is. Oh, just to remind you, Rory's birthday party is on Sunday at 1 PM."

"I have it in our calendar. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Do you need me to bring anything?"

"Thank you for the offer, mum. I've got everything covered. Tom and I are keeping it simple. We ordered a reindeer cake from our favorite bakery, as well as some winter themes treats. We also ordered some tea sandwiches and dips. I have to pick up a few more things tomorrow, but we're all set."

"Fantastic! Who'll be there?"

"Well, us, you and dad, Edith and Bertie, Mary, Matthew and Aislinn, Cousin Isobel, Gwen and John, Thomas, and Granny." Sybil paused for a moment. "I don't know if you heard, but Matthew and Aislinn are engaged."

Cora chuckled. "I heard from Isobel. I wish you wouldn't act so dramatic when we discuss their relationship. Your father and I are fine with it. I saw them together at Isobel's birthday in September and they're an excellent match." She paused dramatically. "And Mary told us, finally, why they broke up."

Sybil let out a relieved breath. "Thank God! I've been telling her for months to tell you and dad. Tom and I were left in an awkward position when dad expressed how upset he was about Matthew and Aislinn's relationship."

Her mother nodded her head. "I know and we're both sorry for that."

"Thank you," replied Sybil. "Let's discuss the menu for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!"

Cora agreed. "Let's." She looked down at a notepad she had in front of her. "Okay, we're doing a traditional Irish Christmas Eve. Creamed haddock, mashed potatoes, peas, and brown bread. Is that everything?"

Sybil took a sip of her tea and nodded her head. "That's the main meal. Did you place the order for the haddock?"

"I did," replied her mother. "I'll be picking it up on Wednesday. Mrs. Patmore is baking cookies and Irish plum cake for us before she goes to visit her sister in Manchester for the holidays. And before you ask, there will be Christmas pudding. She worked on it today and left instructions on how to finish it."

"Fantastic! One less thing to worry about!"

Cora laughed at her daughter's reaction. She knew how much Sybil loved Christmas pudding and how badly she made it. Mrs. Patmore knew as well.

Taking a sip of tea, Sybil asked, "What's the meal plan for Christmas Day?"

Her mother smiled. "Roasted chicken and roasted goose, roasted potatoes and mashed potatoes-"

"Did you say roasted goose!?" interrupted Sybil.

"Yes," Cora replied. "I got a fantastic recipe off of the BBC Food site and it's easy. I'll send the link to you."

"But why a goose?"

"I wanted to do something different this year." She paused for a moment. "And I was reading up on Victorian Christmases and loved the idea of making roasted goose."

Sybil gave her mother a skeptical look. "Okay, but I'm going to ask Tom to assist you in the kitchen. I know that his mother has made goose in the past and he always loved helping her in the kitchen."

Cora thought over her daughter's words before she responded. "I should be upset at your suggestion, but Tom is such a darling. And he knows his way around the kitchen!"

Sybil grinned. "It's one of the many things I love about him."

Mother and daughter continued talking for another twenty minutes, hashing out the rest of the holiday meal details, including the fact that Aislinn offered to make breakfast on Christmas morning.

Sybil glanced at her watch. "I've got to go, mum. The kids' naps will be ending soon and I don't want to leave Tom to deal with two re-energized toddlers."

Cora heartily laughed. "I understand. I'll see you, Tom, and the kids on Sunday. Bye, darling!"

"Bye, mum!"

Their conversation ended and Sybil shut down her laptop. She grabbed her now empty mug and went downstairs. She reached the living room just as Rory was stirring from his nap. He opened his eyes and they instantly landed on his mother. He popped up and started to make his way towards her.

"Mumma!"

Sybil scooped him up with one arm and groaned as she rose to her full height. "Oomph! You're getting a little too big for me to lift you with arm, my little one."

Tom rose from the sofa and took his wife's empty cup from her. "How was the conversation with your mum?"

"It went well. She decided to make goose for Christmas Day."

He half smiled. "That's very Dickensian of her."

Sybil laughed, as did Rory. "It was inspired by Victorian Christmases. Would you mind helping her make Christmas Day dinner?"

Tom smiled. "Of course not!" He took his son from her arms and began to tell him a story. "There never was such a goose. Bob said he didn't believe there ever was such a goose cooked. Its tenderness and flavour, size and cheapness, were the themes of universal admiration. Eked out by apple-sauce and mashed potatoes, it was a sufficient dinner for the whole family…"

Rory laughed at his daddy's dramatics. Sybil smiled and shook her head.


	20. Day 19: Train

This is the first of two updates today. I was going to post this last night, but I was tired. Holiday preparations are exhausting!

* * *

Sybil sighed as she finished putting together the last favor for Rory's birthday party the following day. She stretched her arms and groaned. Rising from her seat, she slunk into the living room to check on her husband and son.

She smiled softly at the sight that greeted her. Both Tom and Rory were asleep on the sofa, her husband stretched out while their son used his chest as a mattress. Sybil tiptoed over to the sleeping pair and placed a kiss on their heads. She then tiptoed back out and went to the kitchen to quickly call her mother.

Cora picked up on the third ring. "Hello, Sybil."

"Hi, mum. I'm sorry to call, but I forgot a few items when I went to the shops this morning and I won't have time to go back out before the party."

"Absolutely! What do you need?"

Sybil sighed in relief. "We need two different types of hummus. I was thinking classic hummus and roasted red pepper. I also need some biscuits to be picked up as well."

Her mother chuckled. "Of all the things to forget, the party basics slipped your mind."

"I know, I know," her daughter replied. "I remembered the hot cocoa K-cups, mini marshmallows, whipped cream, and candy canes for the hot cocoa bar, but not biscuits and hummus."

Cora perked up at the words 'hot cocoa bar'. "A hot cocoa bar. That sounds divine! Will the adults be able to make our own special hot cocoas?"

Sybil chuckled. "Yes. We have Kahlua, Bushmills, Amaretto, and Sambuca in the house for the adults. If you and dad want to bring something else, feel free to."

"We might just do that."

Both women laughed at that. Mother and daughter continued to talk for the next several minutes. Suddenly, Sybil heard a commotion from over the line.

"Mum, is everything okay over there?"

Cora chuckled. "It's just your father. He was out picking up Christmas gifts."

"Oh," she responded, hearing her father jabber on excitedly. "You would think he had just opened his gifts on Christmas Day."

"Yeah, I understand how you would think that. Since Moira and Rory came along, your father gets such delight out of giving them gifts. And I have to say, I do as well."

Sybil sighed. "Oh mum, you and dad spoil them so."

Cora laughed. "Good! We're doing our jobs as grandparents."

From the background, Sybil heard her father speak to her mother. "Cora, I got the lamb, rabbit, and horse for Rory's birthday gift and the jet popper and the nursery rhyme finger puppet set to add to his Christmas gifts. And look what I got for Moira." There was a brief pause. "She's absolutely going to adore this train set."

"A train set!" Sybil exclaimed over the phone.

Robert, realizing his wife was on the line with their youngest, eagerly answered. "Yes! Hornby's Thomas the Tank Engine train set. I wanted to get Hornby's Flying Scotsman train set, but your mother wouldn't let me."

"Mum, dad, that's too much," Sybil replied.

Cora sighed. "I know how you feel about the children getting too many gifts, but it's not a lot in reality. Besides, Moira wants a train for Christmas. You told me so yourself."

"I did," Sybil conceded.

"Just be happy your father didn't buy the Flying Scotsman train." She paused. "I'm sorry, darling, but I need to go. We'll see you tomorrow afternoon! Bye!"

The call disconnected. Sybil stood in her kitchen thinking over the last few minutes and the train that would be unleashed into the household come Friday. She rubbed her forehead. _Of course my parents would buy Moira a train._

Sybil groaned just thinking about the fights over the train that would erupt between Moira and Rory. _I'm going to need to keep aspirin in the house._


	21. Day 20: Stockings

Here's the second update. Thank you everyone who has read and reviewed. Five more prompts left!

* * *

Sybil carefully walked into the dining room, balancing a tray of tea sandwiches and avoiding her excited three year old daughter. She placed the tray on the table and took a step back to survey the spread. _Vegetables and ranch dip, a spot for the hummus and biscuits, baked and breaded artichoke hearts, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, the tea sandwiches, plates and utensils…_

"I think that's everything," Sybil said out loud to herself.

Tom came up behind her holding Rory. "It's quite a spread, love."

"Thank you. Did you finish setting up the hot chocolate bar?"

He nodded his head. "I have the Keurig ready and the hot chocolate pods on display. The mini marshmallows and candy canes are in bowls next to the Keurig and I have the liqueurs out. We just need your parents to get here and then we'll be all set."

At that moment, the doorbell rang and Sybil hurried over to the door. On opening the door, she saw her parents standing outside holding several bags.

"Hi, mum! Hi, dad!" she greeted them, kissing them both on the cheek. "Come in."

Robert and Cora entered the cottage, carefully balancing their bags. "I bought the hummus and the biscuits as you requested. I also picked up some kalamata olive tapenade and Frangelico." She handed Sybil the bag. "Now where is my grandson?"

Tom walked in, still holding Rory. "Here is the man of the hour!" He placed his son on the ground. "Let's show grampy and grammy your walking skills."

The little boy slowly toddled over to his grandparents. Cora bent down and caught him in her arms. "Hello, Rory. Happy Birthday! Do you know how old you are?"

Rory grinned and held up his pointer finger. Cora smiled and gave him a big kiss on the cheek. Robert handed a big box to Tom, went over to his wife, and gave his grandson a kiss as well.

Tom groaned. "What's in here?"

Robert grinned. "His birthday presents."

"Oh dad! You spoil him and Moira so much."

"I'm happy to do so. Speaking of which, where is my granddaughter?"

"Here I am!" yelled Moira, running in from the living room. "Hi Grampy! Hi Grammy!"

Robert lifted her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "How are you, my darling girl? Are you excited for Rory's party?"

"Yes! We have two cakes!"

Cora and Robert looked at Sybil, who laughed at their reaction.

"The baker knows us and made Rory his own small reindeer cake as a gift. We have a big reindeer cake for everyone else." She glanced at the clock. "We need to finish setting up. Mum, dad, can you watch the kids while Tom and I do that?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Cora. She then ushered her husband and grandchildren into the living room.

Tom and Sybil went to finish getting the table set up. Tom added the Frangelico to the liqueurs on the counter for the hot chocolate bar and then grabbed a platter to put the biscuits on. As he did that, Sybil opened the hummus and tapenade containers and placed them on the table. Tom followed on her heels with the biscuit platter.

Stepping back, they both made sure that everything was on the table.

Sybil sighed. "Sweet biscuits are on the table and the cakes are in the fridge. Do we need to get anything else out?"

Before her husband could respond, she answered her own question. "The favors!"

She ran into the closet and removed the tray of favors she had carefully put together the night before. Sybil then walked into the living room and placed the favor tray onto a table she had set up that morning.

"Are those the favors?" Cora asked.

Sybil nodded and her mother smiled, adding, "They're so creative! Christmas stockings as party favors!"

"I found the idea online and Tom and I both worked together to make them. They're filled with a small bag of M&Ms, mint humbugs, and English Toffee."

"I'm surprised that you didn't include any candy canes," Robert said.

Sybil grinned. "There's no need to. We're including candy canes in the hot chocolate bar."

Tom entered the room and the group talked for fifteen minutes before the guests started to arrive. Within a half hour, everyone was in the house, including Uncle Kieran. He RSVP'd at the last minute, having worked extra hours at the garage where he worked to get the afternoon off.

The group ate and laughed the entire afternoon. Rory enjoyed being the center of attention and he enjoyed all the toys he received, especially the snow white stuffed lamb his grandparents gave him.

After presents, it was time for dessert. Everyone, with the exception of the birthday boy, lined up for the hot chocolate bar. Once everyone had their drink as they wanted it, Sybil and Tom brought out the reindeer cakes, happily presenting Rory with his personal cake. The little boy didn't even wait for his family to sing him "Happy Birthday." He reached out with his hand, grabbed a fistful of cake, and shoved it in his mouth, smiling at the yummy chocolate cake.

After dessert and a quick clean-up of the birthday boy, Sybil handed out the favors to her guests. They were a big hit with everyone, especially with Matthew and Aislinn.

"I'm hiring you to come up with favors for the wedding," Aislinn said.

Sybil laughed and told her sister-in-law she'd think about it. After several hours, the guests were gone and the four Bransons were left to themselves. Rory and Moira were pooped out from the party and were asleep on the floor, their son clutching his new lamb and their daughter clutching a stocking favor.

Sybil plopped down on the couch. "I'm exhausted. I'm glad we're going to Downton for Christmas."

Tom nodded in agreement. "Me too." He reached over and grabbed an extra favor and ripped it open. Pouring out a few pieces of candy, he asked, "Mint humbug or toffee?"

"Humbug please," Sybil responded.

He handed her the sweet. "Let's just sit back with our stocking and relax until those two wake up."

Sybil happily sighed. "Sounds like a plan."


	22. Day 21: Sweater

Sybil finished combing her short hair, slicking it back away from her head. She threw on a black nightdress and thick, grey, woolen socks. She then walked to her son's room and grabbed clean pajamas for him. On her way back to her room, Sybil stopped at the hallway closet for a diaper, wash cloth, and towel for Rory. She placed the items on the bed and went downstairs.

Entering the living room, Sybil saw her daughter on the floor, already in her pjs and watching _Brave_. As Moira watched the movie, Tom and Rory played together on the couch. On hearing his wife enter the room, Tom asked, "Did you have a nice bath, love?"

She nodded her head. "I did. Thank you for watching them while I took it. Now it's time for this one to take his bath and go to bed. Hand him over."

He happily handed Rory to his wife. "This has about another half hour left. When it's over, I'll put Moira to bed. You take care of Rory."

She gave him a grateful smile and turned to go upstairs.

Once back upstairs, Sybil started running the water for Rory's bath, wanting to get the temperature just right. As the water ran, she began to remove her son's clothes and diaper. She then checked the temperature and finding it just right, plugged the drain and left it to fill up several inches.

"Oh, mumma forgot your towel and wash cloth. Let's go get them," she said to the squirming baby.

She strolled from the bathroom into the bedroom and grabbed the linens from the bed. Returning to the bathroom, Sybil saw that there was enough water in the tub. She shut the water off and placed Rory in the tub.

He immediately started kicking and splashing. Bath time was one of Rory's favorite activities and today was no exception. He giggled as the water splashed about. After a few minutes, he pointed towards his rubber ducky and Sybil happily handed it to him.

She allowed her son to play for several more minutes before she wetted and lathered up the wash cloth. Sybil began to wash her little boy, who made happy little sounds as he was cleaned. She shampooed his hair and carefully rinsed off the shampoo and soap.

After a few more minutes of play, Sybil removed Rory from the bath tub and wrapped him in a towel. Returning to the master bedroom, she sat on the bed and began to towel dry her son. Once he was dry, she put the fresh diaper on him and then slipped on his Dumbo pajamas.

"Now my darling boy, it's time for bed," Sybil whispered to Rory, who yawned in response.

She slipped on her old, slightly tattered cream sweater, picked Rory up, and sat down in the big armchair in the corner of the room. Sybil placed her son on her chest and wrapped the sweater around him.

Gazing down at her baby, she uttered, "You're one year old today. I can't believe how quick this past year has gone. Or how big you are now! I'm looking forward to the next year."

Rory tiredly gazed up at his mumma. He yawned again, but it was obvious he was fighting sleep. Noticing this, Sybil smiled.

"I think it's time the birthday boy goes to bed. I'll sing you the song I sang to you in the hospital when you were several hours old."

She began to hum and rub Rory's back, swaying slightly. Then, Sybil started to sing.

 _Baby mine, don't you cry_  
 _Baby mine, dry your eyes_  
 _Rest your head close to my heart_  
 _Never to part, baby of mine._

 _Little one when you play_  
 _Don't you mind what they say_  
 _Let those eyes sparkle and shine_  
 _Never a tear, baby of mine._

 _If they knew sweet little you_  
 _They'd end up loving you too_  
 _All those same people who scold you_  
 _What they'd give just for_  
 _The right to hold you._

 _From your head to your toes_  
 _You're not much, goodness knows_  
 _But you're so precious to me_  
 _Cute as can be, baby of mine._

At the end of her song, Sybil saw that Rory was asleep. She pulled him closer to her and shut her eyes, slipping into sleep herself.


	23. Day 22: Candle

Again, thank you to everyone who has read and/or reviewed the story. Three official prompts left, plus a bonus one on Christmas Day!

* * *

 _Downton Abbey_  
 _Late Afternoon_

Tom was nodding off in the Downton library, worn out from the drive alone with two children, when a squeal from his daughter caused him to bolt up.

"The tree! The tree!" Moira yelled from the hall.

He smiled and shook his head, trying to clear away the cobwebs. Rising from his seat, Tom checked on Rory, who was sleeping in a playpen Cora had set up, and went to see Moira and the tree.

"Wow," he breathlessly said, "the tree looks amazing!"

Robert glanced over to his son-in-law and grinned. "It does, doesn't it. I took extra care in picking this year's tree out."

Tom pointed to the many boxes on the floor. "Are those the ornaments?"

His father-in-law nodded. "I brought them down so Moira and I can decorate the tree together tomorrow morning."

The little girl looked up at her grandfather. "We're not decorating the tree now?"

Robert looked down at her and he was saddened by the look of disappointment on her face. "No, not now. It's getting dark. I thought it would be a fun to decorate tomorrow after breakfast. Auntie Mary will be arriving later tonight and she can help us."

Moira's eyes lit up at hearing her aunt was going to be arriving later. "Yay! Auntie Mary!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down.

Tom and Robert laughed. They stopped when they heard noises coming from the library.

"Sounds like Rory woke up," Robert noted.

Tom nodded and replied, "It does. Let's go and check on him."

The trio walked to the library together. Entering the room, they saw Cora holding a very content one year old.

"There's daddy and Moira and Grampy. Let's wave hi to them."

Rory and his grandmother waved hello to their family members who in turn waved hello back. After that, the adults settled onto the sofas and high back chairs while Rory and Moira played on the floor.

"So," Cora began. "What is Sybil's plan for tomorrow?"

Tom yawned. "I'm sorry. Today's trip exhausted me. She's working the midnight to 12 PM shift tonight…or tomorrow. However, you consider it. Once her shift is over, Sybil's meeting Edith, Bertie, Aislinn, and Matthew at King's Cross for the 1 PM train."

Cora tutted. "She's going to be exhausted after such a long shift."

Her son-in-law nodded in agreement. "She will be, but Sybil has it easier than the others. She won't have any luggage to carry with her since I already brought her clothes for the week with me. She'll just have her overnight bag. Once she's on the train, she'll fall asleep."

"Daddy," piped up Moira from the floor, "do we have a candle for Christmas Eve?"

"I'm not sure. Let me ask Grammy and Grampy."

Looking at his in-laws, Tom asked, "Do you have a candle?"

"We have several," replied Cora. "Why do you need one for Christmas Eve?"

Tom smiled. "It's an Irish tradition, though not many people still do it. The youngest member of the house lights a candle after sunset on Christmas Eve. It's a welcoming light for Mary and Joseph."

Robert grinned. "I like that." Turning to his granddaughter, he added, "We can definitely light a candle on Christmas Eve."

She ran up to him and gave him a fierce hug. "Can we light one tonight?"

"Why?" asked Grampy.

"So mumma has a welcoming light on her journey here."

Robert smiled tenderly at Moira. "You're just like your mother. Always thinking of others. Of course we can light a candle tonight."

Moira grinned at her grandfather and hugged him even tighter. "Thank you, Grampy."


	24. Day 23: Crackers

I'm sorry I'm posting this on here so late. It's been insane here in the Gotham household today. I'm working on Day 24 right now and will post it before midnight. Merry Christmas!

* * *

Downton Abbey  
4:30 PM

Cora and Tom were surveying the now decorated Christmas tree in the hall when they heard laughter coming from the library. They glanced at each other and smirked.

"What are they up to in there?" asked Tom.

His mother-in-law smiled. "I have a feeling Auntie Mary is behind this."

They both chuckled and proceeded to the library. Entering, they saw Mary and Moira sitting on the floor, laughing as they were surrounded by the contents of a Christmas cracker. The little girl had a blue crown on her head. Robert was sitting on a high back chair with Rory on his lap. Both were laughing along with the two ladies on the floor, with Rory clapping his hands together excitedly.

"What are you two up to?" asked Cora.

Moira turned her head and jumped up when she saw her dad and grandmother. Running over to them, she exclaimed, "Grammy! Daddy! Me and Auntie Mary were opening the crackers!" Holding her hands to her head, she asked, "Don't you like my crown?"

"It's beautiful, love," Tom said.

Cora arched an eyebrow at her daughter. "I thought crackers were only supposed to be opened on Christmas."

Mary chuckled. "They are, but Moira saw all the crackers I bought for Christmas and asked if we could open a few. I didn't see any problem with that. I brought more than enough for Christmas Eve and Day."

Her brother-in-law shook his head. "You three spoil her so."

His sister-in-law playfully raised her nose in the air. "It is our job to spoil her and Rory. I'm working hard to have the title of the fun and favorite aunt."

The adults laughed at Mary's remark. Moira ran back to her aunt and they were about to open another cracker when there was a commotion from the hall. Before anyone could get up and check on it, in strolled Martha with Sybil and Edith close on her heels.

"Merry Christmas everyone!" she exclaimed.

Cora gasped. "Mom! I thought your flight wasn't until tomorrow."

As they greeted each other, Moira ran over to her mother and Rory called out to Sybil. "Mumma! Mumma!"

Martha grinned. "It was, but I was able to change it to an earlier flight and I decided to keep it a surprise. I flew into Manchester and drove to York to pick up these five." She glanced behind her. "Where are the lovebirds and Edith's young man?"

Sybil smiled as she hugged her eldest. "They're helping to bring in the luggage."

Settling Moira back on the ground, Sybil hurried over to her father and held her arms out to Rory, who practically leapt into her arms. "How is mumma's little boy?"

"He's grand, love," replied Tom. "Of course, he missed his mummy. But you're here now!"

He kissed his wife on the cheek. "I missed you," he whispered.

"I missed you too," she replied.

Bertie, Aislinn, and Matthew came into the library then and began to greet everyone. Moira ran over to her Auntie Ash and Uncle Matthew and gave them a big hug. Rory waved hi, but was more focused on his mum.

Ten minutes later, after everyone had greeted each other and gotten something to drink, Moira was squirming as she sat.

"Is everything okay, darling?" asked Sybil.

The little girl sighed impatiently. "Can we open more crackers now?"

The adults smiled and chuckled.

"Of course we can, darling," replied Moira. "Why don't you and Auntie Edith open one together?"

Edith smiled. "I would love to if you would, Moira."

"Yay!" exclaimed the little girl.

She grabbed a snowman cracker and ran over to her aunt, holding out an end for Auntie Edith to grab.

Edith grabbed ahold of the end and said, "On the count of three pull. One…two...three!"

They pulled at the cracker and it opened. POP!

Moira giggled as the contents spilled on the floor, breathlessly announcing each item.

Sybil and Tom looked at each other and beamed. Tom leaned in and whispered, "She's a little firecracker, isn't she?"

His wife chuckled. "That she is."


	25. Day 24: Nativity

Here's update #2! I just finished it! I'm sorry for the delay. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter.

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 **Downton Abbey**  
 **1 PM**

Sybil descended the stairs quickly, wanting to enjoy the next hour or so talking with her family. She had just put both Rory and Moira down for a nap as the family, minus Tom and Cora, was going to St. Edwin's in the village for church services later.

Entering the library, she smiled warmly at her husband. He patted the seat next to him and held up a cup of tea. Sybil rushed over, sat down, and kissed her husband lightly on the lips.

Taking the cup of tea from Tom, she said, "Thank you, darling."

Tom grinned. "You're very welcome, love."

Edith sat down across from her younger sister. "Did the kids go down easily?"

Her sister sighed. "They did, though I had to put them on our bed. It was the only way Moira would take a nap. When Rory saw her there, he wanted to sleep on the bed as well. I had to place pillows around them on the floor, but they fell asleep after that."

Reaching for an item on the coffee table, Sybil continued, "Which reminds me. I need to put the baby monitor on."

She switched it on and placed it back on the table. Mary sat down across from Tom at that moment.

"What are the plans for this evening? I know Tom and mum are staying here to make dinner while we're at the children's service. But what about after dinner? Will we open any gifts?"

"Well," Aislinn said, "I thought we could do what we did as children. Our parents would allow us to open one gift on Christmas Eve. However, I don't know if you did things differently?"

Cora smiled at Tom's sister. "We did that with Mary, Edith, and Sybil. It was the only way to have a quiet Christmas Eve. It placated them until Christmas morning."

Everyone chuckled at that, knowing how the three sisters could be. Robert took the open seat next to Sybil and wrapped an arm around her.

"I love the holidays even more now that I have grandchildren. Moira reminds me so much of this one," he said as he gestured toward Sybil.

"I know," replied Cora. "She's very sweet and she adores her brother."

Sybil and Tom laughed. "That is true, though they do have their moments. Like when they fought over Aislinn's engagement ring."

Everyone cracked up laughing. The story of how Matthew proposed and the role Moira and Rory played in the proposal had spread quickly through the family. It would definitely be a tale repeatedly mentioned in the years to come.

The adults continued talking for another forty-five minutes when they heard noise coming from the baby monitor.

"Looks like the children are stirring," remarked Tom.

Sybil began to rise from her seat, but her husband halted her.

"I'll get them, love."

Tom rose and went upstairs to his waking children. When she heard him enter their room, Sybil shut off the baby monitor. Robert turned at that moment and saw the Nativity set he had set up earlier. He noticed that something was off.

"What happened to the sheep?" he asked.

"What?" Cora asked, confused.

"The sheep from the Nativity. There's one missing."

Aislinn, Edith, and Matthew began to chuckle. Edith looked at her cousin and his fiancée and asked, "Do you think she took it?"

"Yes," replied Aislinn.

"Robert looked amongst the three chuckling adults and asked, "Who?"

"Moira," they replied in unison.

Matthew, still chuckling, decided to further explain. "Moira was fascinated with the Nativity, especially the sheep. She was giving them names earlier."

Ten minutes later, Tom returned to the library with Rory in his arms and Moira holding his hand. There was a white object in her free hand. Robert smirked.

"Moira," he called out to her. "Can you come over here?"

The little girl scrambled over to her grandfather and hopped onto his lap. "Hi Grampy!"

"Hello, darling. What do you have in your hand?"

Lifting her hand, she showed him. "The sheep! His name is Cuddles."

The adults chuckled, amused with the name Moira gave the Nativity sheep. Edith then rose from the couch and went over to the Christmas tree the family had put up in the corner of the library. She grabbed a package wrapped in _Frozen_ wrapping paper and returned to her seat.

"I know we usually open a gift after dinner, but considering Moira's love of the Nativity set, I thought maybe she should open this right now."

Edith beckoned her niece over. Moira ran over to her aunt and happily accepted the gift.

"Mumma," she said, "can I open it?"

Sybil smiled. "Yes, darling."

With that, the three year old eagerly tore into her present. When she saw what was under the wrapping, she gasped.

"Oh!" Moira exclaimed. "It's Snoopy!"

She held up the package, showing off her very own Peanuts Nativity Set.

"Can I open it? Can I open it?" she excitedly asked.

Tom grinned at his daughter's eagerness. "Yes, but first you need to put Cuddles back with Grampy's Nativity."

Moira pouted. "Do I have to?"

"You do if you want to open your Nativity set," replied Sybil.

The little girl huffed and slowly walked toward the Nativity. She carefully put Cuddles back and returned to her family and her Nativity. Tom then assisted Nora with opening up her Nativity.

Once all the pieces were free, Moira began to play with them. She immediately took to Snoopy, who was the sheep in the set.

"Cuddly Snoopy," Moira called him as she began to play with the piece.

The family members grinned at the little girl. It was moments like these that made Christmas special.


	26. Day 25, Part I: Santa Paws

Merry Christmas! Here's a bonus chapter for everyone!

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Wrapping paper was scattered all over the floor. Matthew and Bertie were trying to maneuver around the playing children as they picked up the discarded wrappings. Rory was showing off both his new jet popper and walking skills to his parents and grandmother. Moira had used a highly effective combination of charm and cuteness to rope her Aunties Edith and Aislinn into opening and helping her set up her new train set.

Isobel, looking around, asked, "Is that all of the presents?"

Robert, beaming, stood up and excitedly said, "No. There are two more. Give me a few minutes and I'll bring them here."

He hurried from the room, barely able to conceal his excitement. With the exception of the children and Cora, all the adults looked confused. Sybil glanced at her mother and saw her biting her lip and bouncing her leg. _She's anxious_ , thought Sybil. This thought was quickly followed by another. _What did da buy for my children?_

She didn't have to wait long to find out. A few minutes later, Robert returned carrying a small, opened box. He sat down by the fireplace and beckoned his grandchildren over.

"Moira! Rory! I have one more present for both of you."

Moira's face lit up like the lights on the Christmas tree. She quickly went over to her grandpa and sat down facing him. Tom picked up Rory and brought him over to the pair, sitting him next to his big sister.

The grandfather grinned. He reached into the box and pulled out a chocolate Labrador puppy.

"A puppy!" the little girl yelled.

Rory babbled excitedly beside her, pointing at the puppy and shaking with excitement. Meanwhile, Sybil and Tom look terrified.

Tom leaned in and whispered into his wife's ear. "How on earth are we going to find the time to train the dog?"

Sybil shrugged in response. However, Robert seemed to have anticipated their concern and revealed his second gift.

Looking at his daughter and son-in-law, he said, "I know you two won't have the time to train the dog between your work and taking care of the children. That's why present number 2 is me. Cora and I will be staying in London from shortly after the New Year into March and I plan to travel to your home to train the dog. I can teach these two," he paused to point at his grandchildren, "everything. And on days you both are home, you can learn too."

Tom and Sybil chuckled. "You thought of everything, didn't you?" Sybil asked.

"Well," her father smiled, "almost everything. She," he pointed to the puppy, "needs a name."

Moira grinned. "I know what to name her. Blitzen!"

"Shouldn't you ask your brother what he thinks?" the grandfather asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, Grampy." She turned to her brother. "Rory, do you like Blitzen for the puppy's name?"

She nodded her head and her brother followed. Then, he pointed to the puppy and tried to say 'Blitzen' thought it came out more like 'Bliz'. Rory then leaned over hugged the puppy. Blitzen happily licked his face in turn.

An hour later, both children were asleep on the floor of the library, tuckered out from waking up early and the excitement of the holiday. In between them, slept Blitzen, tuckered out form playing with his new friends.


	27. Day 25, Part II: Pudding

Here is the last installment of this years Bransons Advent Prompt Extravaganza! Thank you again to everyone who has read and reviewed this fic. I hope everyone had/has a wonderful Christmas.

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The dinner was a rousing success. The goose was perfectly roasted and looked the perfect picture of a Dickensian Christmas. The roast chicken was succulent and the potatoes were divine. Rory could attest to how good the mashed potatoes were as he danced in his highchair as he ate them.

Now, Cora and Tom had cleared the dinner dishes away and were in the midst of getting dessert ready. With the coffee now brewed, they were placing the biscuits, Christmas pudding, and fruit cake onto trays to bring upstairs.

"I've got the coffee and the fruit cake," Tom said to Cora.

"Great!" Cora responded, lifting the tray with the biscuits and pudding. "Lead the way!"

They carefully walked up the stairs, each taking care not to drop anything. Cora especially didn't want to drop the pudding. _If I do, I will never hear the end of it from either Robert or Violet._

Thankfully, they reached the dining room with all the food intact and placed the trays on the table that ran along the wall. Tom proceeded to place the coffee and fruit cake on the table as Sybil rose and grabbed the biscuits. As Cora prepared to light the pudding, the coffee was passed around for the adults while the kids had to settle for milk.

Once everyone was settled, Cora lit the pudding and presented it to her family.

"Oh," Moira gasped, intrigued by the lit dessert.

Violet had the honors this year of tamping out the flames, which she did with gusto. After that, the pudding was cut into pieces. Only Tom and Aislinn, never big fans of Christmas pudding, refused their portions.

"Sybil can have mine. I know this is her favorite."

Aislinn laughed. "It's Matthew's as well. He can have mine too. Or anyone else for that matter. I would love some of that fruit cake though."

"Me too," remarked her older brother.

Moira looked at the pudding with curiosity. "Mumma, can I try that?"

Sybil thought it over. "I'm not sure if you'll like it, but I'll let you have a taste. Just let me give your brother a biscuit."

Sybil handed two star shaped Christmas biscuits to her son, who eagerly put one into his mouth. She then cut a little piece out of Tom's uneaten portion of pudding and placed it on Moira's plate. The little girl picked it up with her fork and placed it in her mouth. Moira then promptly spit it out.

"Yuck! Biscuit please!"

Everyone chuckled at her reaction. Tom quickly handed her a star biscuit and a gingerbread man.

Moira took a bite out of the gingerbread man and proclaimed, "Now, this is Christmas!"

The entire table chuckled including Violet. Martha clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

"Let's dig in to dessert!"

"Pudding," corrected Violet.

Martha didn't even bat an eyelash. "It's called dessert in America."

"And in Ireland," chimed in Aislinn.

"We are in England and we call it pudding," Violet remarked coolly.

Sybil laughed. "It doesn't matter what it's called as long as we're together."

Everyone cheered her comment. Violet, however, needed the last word.

She muttered, "Pudding."


End file.
